The present invention relates to a unique screw coffee filtration system and more specifically to a one-cup coffee brewing device.
It is well known in the art of coffee making to prepare hot coffee by passing water, usually at just below boiling temperature, through coffee grounds which are prevented from passage with the water by a filter which is a water permeable paper membrane; brewing coffee, by gravity passes in a drip fashion downwardly through the coffee grounds into a container placed thereunder. One example of such a prior art apparatus is illustrated in the Hayes U.S. Pat. No. 4,520,716. Another one-cup coffee brewing device that utilizes a drip method is the Hunnicutt, Jr. U.S. Pat. No. 4,986,172.
The Fuchs, Jr. U.S. Pat. No. 5,095,185 is directed to a microwave coffee maker for brewing a single cup of coffee that allows for controlling the time for the extraction process of the coffee from the coffee grounds.
The Piazza U.S. Pat. No. 5,586,484 is directed to an inexpensive espresso coffee maker as opposed to an expensive commercial machine.
It is an object of the invention to provide a novel coffee brewing device capable of quickly producing a single insulated cup of brewed coffee.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a novel coffee brewing device that produces a single cup of coffee much in the manner of an espresso machine. Whereas a standard expresso machine utilizes an electric water pump to force hot water through coffee grounds and then a filter membrane, this unique apparatus utilizes mechanical pressure created by a threaded screw press to force hot water through coffee grounds and then a filter membrane.
It is another object of the invention to provide a novel coffee brewing apparatus that is economical to manufacture and market.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide a novel coffee brewing apparatus that is easily operated and easy to clean.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel coffee brewing apparatus that also functions as a triple wall air space sealed insulated cup for drinking the brewed coffee.
The one-cup coffee brewing apparatus has three major components. They are the hot water container member, the drinking vessel unit, and the coffee grounds holder unit. Initially a predetermined amount of coffee grounds would be spooned into the coffee grounds holder unit and it would be screwed onto the bottom end of the drinking vessel unit. Concurrently, the hot water container member would have been filled to a proper height with water and placed in a microwave oven for the proper amount of time to produce heated water in the range of the boiling temperature. Next the drinking vessel unit would be placed above the hot water container member, pushed down and thereby lowered therein a sufficient distance until the external threads on the inner tubular side wall of the drinking vessel unit contact the internal threads or grooves adjacent the top end of the inner surface of the tubular side wall of the hot water container member. Upon initial insertion of the drinking vessel unit into the hot water container member, an air-tight hermetic seal providing insulation and preventing leakage between the cup member and the tubular insulation member is established through an O-ring mounted on the outer tubular wall of the hot water container member. As the drinking vessel unit is pushed down into the hot water container member, the hot water will be forced upwardly through the water permeable member in the bottom of the coffee grounds holder unit, through the coffee grounds and upwardly out through the upper water permeable member into the interior of the cup member of the drinking vessel unit. When the drinking vessel unit external threads meet the hot water container member internal threads, the handle on the drinking vessel unit would be gripped and rotated thereby screwing the cup member of the drinking vessel unit downwardly into the hot water container member in the manner of a power screw creating pressure that will continue to force the hot water upwardly through the coffee grounds holder unit to produce a single cup of coffee in the interior of the cup member of the drinking vessel unit. By utilizing a power screw press, coffee is brewed at an optimum temperature in less than one minute.
The coffee brewing apparatus also functions as an insulated cup for drinking the brewed coffee. It also allows a person to carry the cup of brewed coffee with them immediately as they leave the house on their way to work.